Crusoe in South East Asia

Just found out if you google DJ Crusoe my blog is the first to appear. Awesome! And now for some rambling thoughts….

Sometimes I feel like my life is a jig saw puzzle and I’m trying to work out how to fit all the pieces in. Each piece placed into the jig-saw represents a choice I’ve made, for example to study or not to study. To go out and party or to get an early night. Recently, I’ve realised for the last 2 years I’ve been trying to fit the pieces in with a hammer. Now, this jig saw puzzle is very special as the final picture hasn’t been set yet and depends on how I fit the individual pieces. I’m starting to realise that to do well at this puzzle I’ve got to think carefully about the picture that I’m aiming for and think carefully about each individual ‘piece’ that I’m putting in. Yeh, thats right, my life is a game.

Occasionally bad things happen and the pieces that I’ve struggled to carefully fit get shaken and the whole thing falls to bits. Starting the new academic year I aim to be more careful about what bits I chose to add, and the ones I do chose to put in, I’ll put in very carefully. Also, when something comes to shake the table on which my jig saw stands, I’m going to hold onto it and make sure its stable….

My trip to South East Asia represented completing a section of my Jigsaw, and, just like finishing a section of a Jigsaw, made it easier for me to see how to finish off the rest of the Jigsaw. Now don’t get me wrong….my Jigsaw is far from complete (I hope) but little by little. Rome wasn’t built in a day!

Congratulations if you stayed with me through that. Ok…enough talking in metaphors…..

I still haven’t donated to the orphanage I promised to. Don’t let me forget….

As the name suggests this is my last post in Asia as tomorrow at 6am a taxi will come to pick me up from my hostel to take me to the airport.  Part of me doesn’t want to go and return to my normal life but then again, I realise that I will never return to that life. Why? Because I think I’ve changed and, although the change may be subtle; I believe my outlook on life has been refreshed. Thus, my ‘normal’ life no longer exists and what awaits for me is a new beginning.

Apologies if this sounds clichéd but I guess I’ll leave it up to you. Whether my friends and family notice a difference in me is another thing but I intend to make changes to my life.

Its difficult to know how to write this post as its currently morning here and for a rare change of events my morning has been comparatively normal. Had the worst white out of my life this morning which was unusual. Got out of bed and everything went 80% white. Through the haze I could see the world shift as my balance went. Thought maybe its the malaria kicking in (malaria wipes out your red blood cells-maybe thats why my vision is going white??-haha). But I know my mind is just being paranoid. Probably cos of my lie in!

Walking to the hotel yesterday was a bit freaky yesterday. Just remembered, my best pair of trousers split at the crotch area upon climbing into the taxi destined for the hotel. To make matters due to the high toxicity of my underwear (Crusoe sweat is pure poison), my under wear had been rendered unwearable. So for 24 hours I was going commando. With a split down there I had to walk into my hotel holding objects in strategic places. Honestly, I felt like I was in the intro to Austin Powers….

So have decided to keep this post short and sweet and give you guys some pictures to chew over. Am starting to manage this blogging technology so hopefully they should work without a hitch (that’ll be the day!):

Just realised I’d left my best memory card back at the hotel so had to do some pilfering off facebook. Found some random pics to throw up. Thanks guys :-p

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Am ready to welcome any of my new friends from SE Asia to come visit anytime. Just drop me a line anytime!

Looking forward to seeing everyone in the UK soon!

Soft cotton sheets wrapped around me, I gently stirred from a delicious sleep in my luxury hotel in the heart of Khao San road, Bangkok. The cold had woken me up in the night as I’d managed to turn the air conditioning up too high.

A bit of shopping and a street breakfast later I was ready to move on. Not to a different city but to a different area of town. My budget does not cover more than 1 night at expensive hotels at a time. Before I left I had a dip in the hotel pool. It was a mixed experience, sure, I enjoyed the comforts of swimming in clean fresh water however the company in the hotel wasn’t one I’d like to keep in contact with. The couple crushing the chairs next to me were possibly the fattest people I’d seen in my 5 weeks here. I watched her eat chocolate bars before focusing my attention on the more attractive but spoilt girls in the pool. Wow I’m pretty critical today! The company you meet in hostels is (usually) much better than the people found in hotels but I guess this is expected. As I lie on the sun-bed I recount last nights weird experience. Before heading out into the street a woman standing near reception starts asking me questions. As well as the normal questions of  “where are you from?” etc…she finalises off with “Are you going out to get really drunk?” and then “You should!”. I hope I didn’t look that depressed. When I came back from the streets later that night I noticed a sign in my hotel room:

Bangkok Hotel

so had to tell the 5 prostitutes I’d brought back to my room that unfortunately the party was cancelled. Turns out one of them was a man anyway…

Took a taxi to my next abode the Refill Inn. I had no intentions of being “Re-filled” so will have to keep my guard up. Upon arrival it was incredibly well decorated and featured better service and decoration than the “posh” hotel. At check, a glass of water was brought for me with ice while I filled in the forms. I felt like a celebrity.

Clearly, things were starting to catch up on me, the tiredness I felt was overwhelming. Went out for a walk to discover the hood before going home to get some shut eye. I found an internet cafe nearby and went in to check my e-mails. Low and behold my university had published our results. Bit disappointing really…but I’m looking on the plus sides. Maybe exams aren’t my thing? One thing is certain I’m going to go for it and whether or not I nail this degree. It doesn’t matter as I’m going to fight my way to where I want to be. I still have 2 years left and I’m going to take as much out of the remaining experience as I can. That’s one of the things this trip has “filled” into me.

Walkiing round the nearby markets it felt like I was in photographer paradise. As my hotel is in the “outskirts” of Bangkok, I was the only foreigner around. I’ve seen a lot of markets in my travels but this was the most interesting. I still am overwhelmed by the freshness of the foods on sale.

The fish at the market, still alive, gasping for air

The prices at the market are “real” Thai prices and are therefore MUCH more inclined to my budget. Splashed out a bit and managed to eat 3 of the fish in the picture above. Just kidding, ate some watery noodles instead.

Trying to sleep at the hotel wasn’t the easiest. First of all, my results will still circling round my head not allowing me to relax. Secondly, the other people started heading to the dorm room. The walls separating us was in fact a curtain about 5mm thick and I could hear everything. However, they couldn’t see me so as far as they were aware, they were alone. At about 3am the guy in the cubicle next to me  got a phone call. For those of you familiar with Trigger Happy TV, a famous English comedy show, I was convinced I had Dom Joly next door. Dom’s phone rang with the very same ringtone from the program

“HELLO?”

“HELLO?” ”

WHAT?

“I’m in REFILL HOSTEL!”

…….

“NO ITS RUBBISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Ok maybe I exaggerate the last bit….but it was pretty close.

For my International Readers picture (or English people who live in a hole/the North of England):

Eventually I managed to get to sleep and was then haunted by dreams about forgetting my Malaria Malarone pill. Will have to take extra tomorrow….

My transport to Bangkok had been arranged to pick me up from the hotel at approximately 7.30 am. Didn’t want to be late so ran down to the lobby and was there waiting at 7.29. Feeling pleased with myself I sat down to wait in the lobby, expecting someone any minute. Sure enough a bus turned up 5 minutes later and I was practically on the bus when I realised it wasn’t going to Bangkok but back to Vietnam. Close shave. Go back and wait another 10minutes. Its now nearly 8am and the super deluxe bus I’d paid the extra $4 would be leaving any minute now and I still was no where near its departure point. I was beginning to get worried. Speaking to the staff at my guesthouse, they didn’t have a clue. I asked if I could telephone the travel company and ask them what was going on but they informed me their phone was broken and that their mobiles didn’t have credit. Great…Another 10 minutes goes by. I was beginning to wonder whether I’d be in Bangkok today. Sometimes when travelling you have to be patient…but other times you need to take action. I wasn’t sure which time it was so decided to take action. Eventually the guy running the hotel agreed to go and phone the travel company from a nearby phone. 3 minutes later, an irrate driver on a motorbike turns up and apparently everything is my fault. He grabs my back and gesticulates for me to get on the motorbike. Another great start to the day.
Speeding through the streets, he starts having a go at me. I tell him to go shove it up his ass….

He doesn’t understand but I realise we’re passed making friends at this stage in the day. I arrive at the ‘bus stop’ where he chucks off my bag and drives off, leaving me thoroughly confused. There are 2 buses and I don’t know if I’m supposed to get on either of them. To make matters worse…neither is the super deluxe bus and both are crammed to overflowing. I begin to think my $4 may not have been worth it and that perhaps I’d been scammed and that maybe there was no super deluxe bus. My day was just getting better and better…

A guy came out of the crowd and tried to push me onto the first bus…Sure why not? Then a second guy comes over and starts pulling me to the bus behind. I can’t be bothered to fight at this stage and so just go where everyone is pulling me. I enter the second bus and find there are no seats available (see yesterdays photo-post from Cambodia). There is a plastic red garden chair in the middle of the aisle practically next to the bus driver. This turns out to be my chair. I decide that this must be first class as everyone around me has paid $8 while I’ve paid 50% more. Decide therefore it is my right to get a better bus experience. I try and find the perks of the red chair and decide my first advantage is that I can board the bus anytime I like as long its last. I also get priority exit from the bus (no one else can exit if I’m sitting there) and finally, the biggest advantage: I had unlimited leg room while everyone else had there legs up by their ears. To be honest this alone probably was worth the extra $4. I tried to ignore the slight disadvantage of where I’d end up if we crashed….and the fact the guys knee behind me was smashing my kidneys at every bump….and the fact plastic garden chairs don’t do any favours for your bum after 3 hours. Whether the super deluxe bus existed or not it no longer mattered as either way, clearly I wasn’t on it.

Eventually, we arrived at the border. Somehow, I managed to navigate my way through the border (no easy achievement). Infact, prior to arriving at the Thai border customs I found my way being ushered into a very posh hotel. For a split second, I thought Thailand’s border was perhaps the nicest border control in the world….

On the other side I realise that the Indonesians I’d met yesterday and travelled with on the day before where in fact crammed like sardines behind me on the bus. I pretend to drive the bus. Very fun and also get mic control. I seriously felt like the tourguide on the bus as there was practically no room for me to sit so every now and again I’d stand and give information about Cambodia to the rest of the bus on the loudspeakers until I was threatened with the exit. Subdued I borrowed a book off a girl called Vicky. I can’t remember the title except this doesn’t matter as it was thoroughly rubbish. It was covered in butterflies and the title was in pink. Read the first 2 chapters and then realised I had amazing vistas just above my feet on the bags in front and yet I was reading some trashy shit. When I tried to give her the book back her face cracked me up. (see yesterdays pictures) Reese the Aussie guy next to her then woke her up by shoving his hand in her mouth….

In fact, the bus stopped several times for the bus driver to get off and walk around the bus. I have 2 theories as to why he was doing this: 1) He was checking for flat tyres (it was pretty bumpy) 2) He was checking for illegal immigrants. Apparently many Cambodians try and hop over the border each day to get into Thailand. Either way, he didn’t either so we continued until he felt the need to check again every 5 minutes…

Gave all my spare Riel to Cambodian kids at the border. Not that I had a lot but realised it would do more for them than it would in even the best scrap book I could ever make. I have to admit I wasn’t prepared for the poverty I’d see in Cambodia. I still feel guilty about not giving to beggars. Last night at my hotel while waiting for the internet I found a pamphlet for an orphanage in Cambodia. Once I return home I will donate to the  orphanage. That way hopefully I can help someone. Whether the money actually helps the right people I will never know but I can only try…On the positive side by visiting Cambodia I am helping their economy and thus making peoples live better. Even if this only on the microscopic level….

Transferred from the bus once on the Thai side onto a minibus. Spoke to a some Japanese travellers. 2 guys and a girl who had just met up with them joined them. The girl spoke good English while the 2 guys spoke very little. The 2 guys were determined to teach me Japanese slang for everything. Why is it that all the Japanese who want to teach me only teach me slang? One day I’m going to be fluent but will also sound like a gangster…

Eventually we arrive in Thailand and I find myself immediately surrounded by taxi drivers inches from my face. This has got to be the worst thing about Thailand…Eventually I lose it and tell the guy shouting taxi taxi in my ear to leave us alone. Maybe I sounded very harsh because at this point he comes over and grabs me and starts shouting at me. To make matters worse I was wearing a red T-shit…He was wearing a yellow T-shirt. Any Thai people will immediately understand what I’m saying but for those who don’t get this reference I’ll explain. The old Thai government supporters wear red T-shirts while their rivals wear yellow. When I booked my tickets there were riots between the 2 sides… Anyways, this guy clearly assumed I was a supporter of the Reds. FREAKIN IDIOT! Why would I have a bias in Thai politics? He grabs my arm and starts shouting about yellow being better than red. I tell him to get off me. Actually, he was the first Thai I spoke to on my return to Thailand. I clearly know how to get on the right side of people. He then starts shouting about to many people in Thailand, go home! Hmmmm…he clearly hasn’t been to London. Dickhead.

The clown then starts asking to see my passport. Good one! The other taxi drivers at this point have instructed me to appologise and ran off. Yeh, appologising isn’t the first thing that comes to mind…more like trying out some Vietnamese fighting moves I’d witnessed the other night. However, no bar stools were to hand so decided to take the moral high ground and move on.

The last time I was in Bangkok I was in a totally different area. I’d heard from some of the other travellers on the bus to check out Buddy Lodge. Eventually, I find my way there. Immediately I realise I’ve made a mistake once I see their decour. I find out the price 40 UK pounds. Just a tad over my budget….Frickin noobs….In the end I spend about 15 pounds but get a nice bed and swimming pool on the 6th floor. Totally worth it! The most expensive accommodation of my trip but seeing as I’ve under budget I figure it can’t hurt too much. Feel bad as I lie in bed thinking of all the people I’d seen without anything begging for money. The world can be a harsh place….I try and be grateful and thank God for my comparatively easy life before I go to sleep. Its the only way I can stay nearly sane…

Woke up at 6.30 to go and meet my new friend George in the foyer. At 7am our Tuk Tuk driver was awaiting us and climbing aboard we set off for Ankor Wat.

Some background info on Ankor Wat:

Angkor Wat  is a temple complex at Ankor, built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation—first Hindu, dedicated to Vishnu, then Buddhist. The temple is the epitome of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country’s prime attraction for visitors.

(Of course I wrote that myself.)

During the day we viewed Ankor Wat, and several other temples in the surrounding areas. I was surprised at the huge number of temples in the area. Visitors to Ankor Wat should be aware of the sheer number of beggars and street sellers that attempt to get your dollar. Oh by the way the main currency of Cambodia is the US dollar as their currency isn’t really used much.

George exclaimed how he’d be a rich man if his sales men were that persisstant in the US. I couldnt agree more except they wouldnt be very popular….

I actually didn’t have enough money on me and had to borrow money from George. So all the beggars and craft sellers who were desperate for my money all got told the same thing. “Sorry I don’t have any money” No one belived me and they just tried to haggle harder reducing their prices. Crazy thing is they probably had more money on them than me! Unless you count Singaporean…

My impressions of the temple were marked by a little frustation caused by my lack of knowledge about the sites I was viewing. I would strongly advise any travellers heading here to research the area before viewing. Some places can be ‘winged’ and visited without any prior study however visiting Ankor Wat, I really felt like I couldn’t fully appreciate the history of the site. No matter how much research one does, it is impossible to imagine how much time, effort, lives and inspiration were required to creat the temple complexes. Surrounding some of the temples where thousands of blocks that had been knocked off the temple. Different countries around the world are trying to rennovate and protect the temples however, to carry but one of these blocks is a huge difficulty. I couldn’t even lift one! But yet there are thousands that need to be carried and lifted around.

Talking with George, I realised that if a country such as UK or USA, with all the money and resources was to try and build something like the temples at Ankor, it would costs Billions upon Billions of pounds/dollars. Even with all the technology we have today it would be a truely massive undertaking. I have no idea how they managed it all nearly 1000 years ago. Apparently they did it out of devotion to their king. A story I don’t really believe…

We viewed temples until 5pm and afterwards went back to the hotel via a travel shop. Bought a bus ticket for tomorow for $ 12. This was $4 more than the Indonesians paid although the travel agency woman assured me the bus would be a lot more comfortable and worth the money. (What happened in reality was a completely different matter!)

George paid for my fee for the tour guide. I’ve had a lot of freebies on my travels (and not just this time). One day when I have more money I hope I don’t forget peoples kindnesses to me and I can give to others what others give to me now. If I make it that far!

I saw so many temples that come 11pm as I was going to sleep, I had temple ruins burned into my retinas and couldn’t get temples out of my head as I was trying to sleep. Felt a little eery but didn’t last long as I was so shattered from the days activity in 5 minutes I was sleeping like a log…

Left Vietnam early in the morning, struggling to stay awake. A 12 hour journey awaits me with but 1 stop for 20 minutes. Sleep for the first 2 hours and find myself in conversation shortly after with George, a retired American who travels since the death of his wife, 10 years ago. George is anything but boring and I hear many exciting stories about his life and travels. He reminds me of the character Clint Eastwood played in Grand Torino. Serving in the military, he was adopted into the Mong Community near his house and has since joining them tried to help them in their day to day lives. He has documented the arrivals of many Cambodians into the US and how they deal with the culture shock. He was approached by National Geographic for the story but is only able to publish the material once he is dead as he fears he may get sued as  he doesn’t have the model releases. Can’t really imagine how great the culture shock must be as the difference in way of life here is so huge. We discuss many things (not hard when you have 12 hours to kill) I find I disagree with him about somethings, particularly the Vietnamese war. I find it interesting to hear his side of the story, especially after hearing the Vietnamese side. He tells me it was not a war as the US were just there to keep the peace. I don’t really know how to argue back and decide to keep my opinion to myself in order to avoid a fight on the bus. Had enough of them last night…

A guy sitting in the row next to me seems to have taken a liking to me and smiles at me. This is not uncommen as white people are often the subject of many curiosities. He doesn’t appear to speak English, but offers me a hardboiled egg. Its blue/green and slightly smaller than a chicken egg. He hands me some powder which he gestures to sprinkle on the egg. It looks like sand and grit. Accoding to my guide book people often feed travellers food that is drugged and then steal their posessions while they are asleep. Maybe the powder is drugs?  I eat a bit of the egg and feel fine, so I finish it off. Its fun being paranoid and then doing it anyway…

Discovered what the reason of my illness a few nights ago was. The malarone was causing chronic heartburn and I still find it uncomfortable to swallow. The problem was diagnosed by a crack team of experts back in the UK who wouldn’t rest until they found the answer. Following their excellent advice, now everytime I take a pill I make sure I eat a big meal at the same time. This is easier said than done when your trapped on a 12 hour bus journey! At the lunch break I order a dish with rice and pork ribs. However, there is so little meat on the bone I don’t eat that much. Still, gives me  opportunity to take the pill.

The bus approaches a ferry crossing and a small boy climbs up on the side of the ferry starts smacking on the windows of the bus trying to get inside. This is a new form of begging I’ve never seen before. He is soon joined by many other kids. They are miming food and I realise they are trying to sell little parcels of food. Everybody ignores them yet they remain knocking on the windows for another 15 minutes.

George and I arrive at the hotel by a new kind of Tuk Tuk. This type is different from the ones in Bangkok and resembles a trailer with a roof being dragged by a motorbike. Exciting but very bumpy. Hold onto my bags as I feel they might fall out.

I’m staying at the Apsara Steung thymey lodge (not an easy name to remember when your trying to ask for your hotel when your lost) and get a room with 2 beds in it for 8 dollars. Its one dollar more than the room the guide book reccomends, however, when I cheked that place out the room barely had a light and smelled incredibly musty so have decided to have a luxury night tonight here instead. I appreciate the privateness of a single room from a dorm room except miss the air conditioning….Reminds me of living in student halls (the room temperature hit 40C from solar gain) except is not actually as bad! Eat dinner at a place called Khmer Kitchen. Get lost again on the way back. There are no street lights here (or at least very few) and have difficulty reading my map (hotel card). Getting lost is way too familiar for my liking..

Tomorow I visit the temples of Ankor Wat. Think Tomb Raider was filmed here. Apparently according to George who has seen the pyramids, this is better. Yet most people have never even heard of it. Think this adds to the mystery.

Have less than a week now before I head home. Mixed feelings about heading home. Sure I miss my family and friends but will definitely miss the freedom I have out here. Have completely forgotten what its like to have a mobile phone but greatly miss the internet speed of London. Reality is I have to go back, made much easier safe in the knowledge I don’t have to retake the year. However, the university sometimes publishes the wrong results. I have a friend who recieved an email informing him he’d failed an important exam and as such would need to retake. He was a very hardworker and was devestated by the news. A few minutes later he recieved another mail saying he’d passed. Turns out he shared a surname with another Korean in the department and their names confused the secretary. He’d recieved her message in error…I really don’t want to find a message in my Inbox saying they made an error about me passing!

Should be getting my final results soon. Wish me luck!

Saturday mornings are always great to lie in bed and not do anything. This is not case for me however today as I’ve arranged to meet Khoa at 7am to get my motorbike helmet back that I’d left on my drunken adventures. Crawl out of bed cursing audibly realising I’ve slept through my alarms tripping over my stuff in the dark. (It’s a dorm room so I can’t turn on the light) Go down stairs and take advantage of the empty kitchen to grab my free breakast and meet a American girl. Some fried egg escapes my mouth and hits her on the foot. She finds this hysterically funny. Embarrassed, I don’t really know what to do apart from pick it off her foot (don’t worry I didn’t eat it).

Time passes and its now 9am. Somehow, I must have missed Khoa. I’ve arranged to meet Beanie again today at 2pm so vege out in the nearby district killing time. Walking back to my hotel, I bump into Const dogg again, the hip hop artist I’d met the other night from Liberia/USA. He tells me he’s going to a BBQ and at this point its nearly time to meet Beanie so we say goodbye.

It starts to rain hot rain. Beanie is late and I go to a nearby shop to kill time. Find photocopies of best selling books for sale. Meant to buy one but forget. Will have to draw out the last chapter of Michael Palins adventures tomorow for the 12 hour bus journey. Hooray!

Beanie comes out of nowhere like a bat out of hell. I jump on the scooter and we’re off again into the busy traffic that menaces Saigon. Destination”? I have no idea but this is nothing new. Beanie intends for us to go shopping and we hit the mall. I’ve never been so claustriphobic in my life and start to feel a bit sick. There are so many people and the corridors are just too narrow. Makes my home town shopping mall look like a ghost town. I buy a bag that has “SAMPLE NOT FOR RESALE” stuck onto it. Looks good and I pay about 13pounds. In the UK it would be over 50. Shopping here, although crowded as hell has its plus points.

A phone rings and Beanie picks it up. Its Lauren, an aspiring fashion designer from New York. Beanie and Lauren have never met face to face and share a mutual friend. Lauren is going to join us for coffee. Today is my last day in Saigon and sadly, I spend it indoors. At least I don’t get lost for a change! Lauren shows up and turns out to be easy going, a little quiet and very interested in the nearby clothes. She stops me in mid-sentence to go and try on a dress. I get revenge by making her look at all 750 pictures I’ve taken so far. Tears are beginning to form in the corners of her eyes so I decide she’s had enough and retire my camera. Thanh, the girl from the other night shows up and joins us at the table. Her phone, has the most bling bling on a phone I’ve ever seen. Its gold plated and apparently cost 700pounds when she bought it two years ago. I swipe it and pretend to put in my pocket. Apparently, I can keep it if I’m prepared to belong to her. My friend Thulasi would be proud, as she has long been trying to pimp me out at McDonalds in Leicester square with only few sucesses, but now I’ve been traded for a 700pound phone. I can’t help but feel quite proud of my achievement.

Beanie and Thanh excuse themselves to go to the toilet. Lauren and I discuss the merits of sportswear v.s active wear. My mind falls asleep and I have to do my best to stop myself falling into my creme caramell. Few shots of coffee and I”m awake again.Until they plan to go shopping….Beanie and Thanh still haven’t returned. Its been half an hour. I know girls take ages but I’m beginning to wonder if they’ve discovered a portal to Narnia in the girls bathroom. Feel jealous and imagine myself playing in snow with woodland animals and then got brought back to reality. Lauren is explaining the benifits of frills in the dress she saw in the corner….

Another 15 minutes passes and the girls still haven’t returned. Lauren suggests we leave. I don’t have the goldplated phone in my possesion yet so persuade her to stay. I’m worried maybe one of them has died fighting with Aslan the lion when they come back to the table holding shopping bags. Apparently there was a sale in La Senza. Lauren is furious…

Dinner is Sushi at an expensive sushi place nearby. The bill comes to $10 a head which although cheap in UK is my daily food budget for SE Asia. Food is great (well it should be for this price) however I struggle to finish. Eventually I cram in the last few grains of rice. Oh my god I’m going to explode. Fortunately, the food stays in my mouth this time.

The Cage is a nearby club which we head to after me gorging on sushi. I think the others need a drink to recover from the monstrosity. Coke is 50 000, more than what I’d normally spend on dinner and I start getting irritated until I realise its a holiday and that I’m spending 150pounds a week on accomodation back in London. 50 000 for a coke aint going to bust me too much.

A waitress comes over and asks me where I’m from. She appears quite friendly and after talking to her Thanh informs me she thinks the waitress may have a crush on me. Thanh however tells me I am infact ugly and asks do I know what my ugliest feature is?

Fortunately, my self esteem is not low enough for me to know the answer so I tell her its my eyes as she can see herself in the reflection. She doesn’t take this well. I move back to talk to Lauren….

The club is still empty at this point and after some diplomatics I manage to keep the group together after a rift starts forming about where we should go. We head for another club which is suitably more packed. Drinks are ludicrously expensive and its Belvedere night. This means there is the amazing deal “Buy one Belvedere get one free!”" Unfortuantly this is well outside my food budget. I realise Im supposed to be leaving in 6hours for Cambodia. I hope I can make it back in time.

Thanh and Beanie depart at this point leaving me with Lauren. Chris, a belgium English teacher has joined us and we form a white section in the sea of asians. I scavenge around and find us a belvedere. Its mostly empty but its a start. Chris tells me its not what you drink here but how much you spend. The more money you waste the better. Contemplate spending the rest of my travel money on a bottle of belvedere but quickly get brought back to reality when I realise I probably don’t have enough… One of Chris’s students when asked about his hobbies apparently answered: I like to count my money in my spare time. Maybe he could get his phone gold plated too?

The club now is too crowded and we try to exit to head to the other club Apocalypse now. This is proving to be more difficult as a fight has broken in the corridor outside the exit to the club. I’m excited at the prospect of fight and get front row view….until a guy runs past me waving a bar stool over his head to smash over someone else. He nearly hits me so I retreat to a safe distance with Chris and Lauren. The fight goes on and unfortuantely its blocking the only exit. Security aren’t capable of dealing with it which is surprising due to the high prices inside the club.

Eventually we find a fire escape to ‘ëscape”‘ the club. When we get to the ground floor however, the fight has spread to the underground car park. We leg it out and enter into the hot night. I got a good picture of the fight but havent got a cable on me now…

Head back from Apoc now some hours later feeling pretty exhausted. I have to leave in 3 hours. Find my hotel and can’t see any prostitues so deem it safe to attempt to enter. Unfortuantely its locked up again. I start knocking. No answer. I start punching the glass. No answer. I start kicking the metal grating. No answer and I hurt my foot. At this point Im getting a little bit scared. I start smashing the glass door against the metal barrier making a hell of a noise. I’m worried that the prostitues will hear the noise and come over to investigate. I guy walks over to me. Wondering if he’ll help me but he’s trying to sell me more drugs. Fuck. I’ll need some by the time this is over…Eventually, somene wakes up and comes to open the door. Except, they’ve lost the keys. 10-15 minutes later they let me in and I run in off the street. Asleep in moments.

Beep-beep-beep. Its time to get up. 3hours is no where near enough sleep. Cambodia time!

This a photo of the night before:

Note, everybody is totally drunk….

Woke up hungover (no surprises there) and found that I was alone in my dormitory. I somehow doubt that my 8 room-mates were quiet as the usual alarm calls blare out at ungodly hours at every dorm room, but more likely I was so exhausted even if all the Vietnamese pop stars in the world had been singing in my room, I wouldn’t have woken up….

Mouth felt like several of the cats from Langkawi had followed me to Vietnam and instead of just sleeping with me, had deposited something. Head down for whats left of my free breakfast. Enjoy a fried egg and some bread. Not great, but can’t complain…its ‘free’!

Today, I decide to visit the Vietnam war museum. Shake off my hangover on the walk through the park, running away from people trying to co-erce me onto motorbikes. Eventually I arrive at the museum and somehow the time has got to 4pm. Amazing how time flies huh?

The museum is definitely a must see in Saigon. However, it is pretty hard hitting. Don’t know if I’m more vunerable in my hangover state but could feel my eyes water when looking round the museum. Felt pretty sick and depressed. The museum is very anti-american but found myself defending  its one-sideness it later to a girl at my hostel. I asked her did the Vietnamese use Agent Orange? A deadly toxin, sprayed from the air (100million litres was dropped) over populated areas of Vietnam. Babies are still being born suffering from the affects of the dioxin present in the spray. I realise that a girl I’d seen begging at the table I was driniking at last night was most likely a sufferer from Agent Orange due to the deformed shape of her head. The museum has foetuses displayed in formaldehyde that have been deformed by Agent Orange chemical spray.

The photos in the museum are horrific showing incredible brutality demonstrated by the Americans. Theres only so much mutilated bodies I can take in one day and while I’m aware brutality also occured to the Americans also, I find myself struggling to comprehend what all this was in aid of, the ‘Vietnam war’. Why was there any need for the Americans to be here? If anyone fully understands this drop me an email…. From what I’ve heard from other travellers the ‘Vietnam’ war was an excuse for the Americans to have a war with China but not in China. Not sure why this was necessary either. The trigger for the war was that an American ship was attacked near Vietnam. This was later found to be falsified by the Americans. Couldn’t help finding similarities between the Iraq war and the Afghanistan war with that of Vietnam. Yet nobody really cares back home while GOD knows what is going on there now. We’ll only find out in 20 years…

Outside the museum is a collecton of military weapons from the Americans. I see a huge metal fuel tank and see a girl  taking a photo of it. So what its just a fuel tank I think, until upon closer inspection I discover this enormous vessel is in fact a giant bomb. Its about double my height and so big I can’t fit my arms around it. The information card informs the destruction area the bomb has. Makes me seriously freak out.

A large collection of land mines is present inside the museum. I see the contents of the mines and am once again shocked. Many of these weapons contain nails, steel pellets and other fragmentation devices. These are created by the Americans from 1960-1970 and these devices are intended to severely injure. Nearyby photos show a farmer who in 2003 stepped on a device. His face, legs, and much of his other body parts have been wripped off. Theres still millions of landmines still about….

Suddenly, as I’m walking around the museum the lights go out and the room decends into darkness. A little bit creepy I have to say. Turns out the museum is closed and a guard kicks us out. Frustrating, as I cannot see the rest of the museum so cannot inform you on the other horrors in the museum. Maybe your benifit…

I decide to walk back to the hotel and try and get over what I’ve seen. Can’t help but hate everybody in the world at this point. As I’m walking back I take a wrong turning and get lost (its normal when using Rough Guide maps to navigate) and find myself walking further and further away without any clue as to where the hell I am. When out of nowhere I hear a shout behind me: “Crusoe! Crusoe! Crusoe!”. I can’t believe it. Who the hell knows me here? I have no idea where I am and don’t even know where Im going. I think I must be going crazy but the shouting continues. I turn around and there is Khoa, one of the friends of a friend of my friend. (Not sure if I have got his name correctly as my memory is like an goldfish suffering from chronic amnesia when it comes to Vietnamese names, especially when drinking Tequila). He invites me into a nearby coffee bar where he and his friend are chilling out after playing pool. He tells me it must be destiny for us to be friends and I can’t really deny this as the chances of bumping into each other like this are pretty slim. If he’d been looking the other way or I’d walked past 10 seconds earlier…

I learn a lot about Vietnam from Khoa and his friends especially about the financial side. The coffee bar was quite a posh place, and yet apparently the waitresses inside will be earning 70$ a month. I earn more than that in a day when I had a student job….Also am informed how Vietnamese seriously love clubbing. He informs me that one of the girls hanging out with us the night before spends about 800 pounds a month on clubbing. Thats hardcore even for London standards. We chat for a while and I loosen up a bit after my horrors at the war museum. Go for some noodles with Khoa after saying goodbye to his friends. He insists on paying the bill. I’ve been incredibly fortunate lately no doubt. Checked my cash today and have 45$ to last me through Cambodia-shit- I can get money out of ATM’s but not sure how many there are in Cambodia. Vietnamese ATM’s only give out DONG, and no where wants to change DONG to US dollars.

Speak to a black guy at a bar later who is a hip-hop artist in Vietnam called Const Dogg. He did a duet Trang a while back and apparently taught the leading rapper in Vietnam. There aren’t many blacks in Vietnam and he tells me how much it sucks to be black here. Because of the lack of exposure of black people in Vietnam, Vietnamese people are extremely racist towards blacks he tells me. Apparently, if me and him were to walk down the street, I’d get offered a lift where as people would turn him down. Makes me feel pretty shit again and re-affirms my belief about people…

The rest of the night spend relaxing and gathering energy as on Sunday, I’ll be making the long trip to Cambodia bright and early in the morning. Need to get my strength back.